1964-1970 Foreign Policy

Why was the Vietnam War so unpopular within Britain?

• It was the first war being broadcast on TV meaning people could see what the USA were doing

• Many people saw it as an imperialist war when Britain was in the process of decolonising

How did Wilson attempt to end the Vietnam War?

• 1965- Attempted to bring the USA and USSR together (USA didn’t show up)

• Attempted to send a junior minister to Vietnam however he was denied access

• Wilson, Kosgin and someone acting on Johnson’s behalf made a plan where the USA would stop bombing and eventually remove troops

• The USA went behind Wilson’s back and organised a deal

Why did Wilson not want to send troops to Vietnam?

Because he didn’t want to cause a split in the Labour party and Britain in general

Why did Britain withdraw from East Suez?

• The defence budget was below $2 billion and they couldn’t afford to maintain their presence

• They wanted to maintain their nuclear deterrent

• 1967 devaluation crisis

What did Ian Smith do?

• He was Prime Minister of Rhodesia and set up an apartheid system

• He refused to cooperate with the UK

• He refused to accept majority rule and declared Rhodesia as an independent country

Why was Ian Smith directly challenging the UK government?

Wilson refused to give Rhodesia independence unless they accepted majority rule

How did Wilson try to get Rhodesia to back down and why didn’t this work?

• He placed oil sanctions on them

• Rhodesia could get their oil from Portugal

• Ian Smith and Wilson had a face to face meeting however, once he arrived home Smith discredited everything Wilson said

How was Britain’s application to join the EEC different than their application in 1961?

• Labour were not as committed to join and Wilson wanted to keep Labour united

• Wilson became hooked on the economic benefits so applied to join

How did Wilson try to gain support for entry into the EEC?

• George Brown (foreign secretary) met De Gaulle with Wilson and believed it went well

• They toured the other 5 member states who all supported British entry

Why were Britain denied entry into the EEC?

• De Gaulle said they only way Britain would be allowed entry was if they ended their special relationship with the USA

• Wilson refused and De Gaulle vetoed their application in November